Supply chain management system and method

ABSTRACT

A supply chain management system is provided that includes a label having a first side with an adhesive and a second side with a plurality of information units printed thereon. The plurality of information units are printed in visible ink or invisible ink and the invisible ink is activated by environmental conditions such as temperature or light spectrum. The label is affixed to an object being processed and the visible appearance of one or more information elements originally printed in invisible ink is used for further processing or the object.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/748,925, filed on May 19, 2022 which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present disclosure generally relates to management of products inthe supply chain and more specifically relates to product labels and/ormediums applied to perishable products in the supply chain thatdynamically change to convey product specific information as theperishable products navigate their way through the supply chain.

Related Art

Commercial products navigate their way through the supply chain fromsource to destination in a variety of states of completion. Forperishable products in particular, the time/age sensitivity of theproduct is critical as the product makes its way from source todestination. Companies that own an inventory of perishable products inthe supply chain face serious challenges to manage their production tosales forecasts as the products are subject to spoilage and improperhandling. Companies that own an inventory of perishable products in thesupply chain face additional challenges related to the delivery ofcustom processed products because custom processing of perishableproducts eliminates such custom processed perishable products fromredeployment to other potential customers, for example if the initialcustomer cancels an order for the custom processed perishable products.Therefore, what is needed is a system and method that overcomes thesesignificant problems found in conventional supply chain management asdescribed above.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, described herein are supply chain management systems andmethods that facilitates the management of perishable objects as theynavigate their way through the supply chain.

In an aspect, a supply chain management system includes a label having afirst side and a second side, where the first side is configured toaffix the label to an object and the second side includes a plurality ofinformation elements. The plurality of information elements include atleast one first information element in a first ink that is visible andat least one second information element in a second ink that isconfigured to be activated by environmental conditions.

In an aspect, a supply chain management method includes obtaining alabel having a first side and a second side, the first side configuredto affix the label to a first object. The method also includes printinga plurality of information elements on the second side of the label andaffixing the label to the first object. The plurality of informationelements include at least one first information element in a first inkthat is visible and at least one second information element in a secondink that is configured to be activated by environmental conditions.

In an aspect, a supply chain management method includes affixing a firstlabel to a first perishable product at a first waypoint in a supplychain, the first label having at least one first information element ina visible ink and at least one second information element in aninvisible ink. The method also includes analyzing the first label on thefirst perishable product at a second waypoint in the supply chain toidentify at least one second information element on the first label thathas been activated by environmental conditions to become visible. Themethod also includes removing the first perishable product from thesupply chain in response to identifying the at least one secondinformation element on the first label that has been activated byenvironmental conditions to become visible.

In an aspect, a supply chain management method includes affixing a labelto a perishable object, the label comprising a plurality of informationelements including at least one first information element in a first inkthat is visible and at least one second information element in a secondink that is invisible until activated by environmental conditions. Themethod also includes processing the perishable object to apply a coatingto at least a portion of the surface of the perishable object andfurther processing the perishable object to expose the label to anultraviolet light having a wavelength configured to activate the secondink and turn the at least one second information element visible. Inthis method, the at least one second information element is an indicatorthat the protective coating has been applied to the perishable object.

In an aspect, a supply chain management method includes, at a firstwaypoint in a supply chain, receiving a first perishable product havinga first label affixed to a surface of the first perishable product, thefirst label having at least one first information element in a visibleink and at least one second information element in a first invisible inkand at least one third information element in a second invisible ink.The first invisible ink and the second invisible ink are configured tobe activated by environmental conditions to become visible. The methodalso includes, at a second waypoint in the supply chain, applying acoating to at least a portion of the surface of the first perishableobject and also at the second waypoint in the supply chain, exposing thefirst label to an ultraviolet light having a wavelength configured toactivate the first invisible ink to become visible, where the secondinformation element is an indicator that the protective coating has beenapplied to the first perishable object. The method also includes, at athird waypoint in the supply chain, analyzing the first label on thefirst perishable product to identify at least one third informationelement on the first label where the invisible ink has been activated byenvironmental conditions to become visible, and also at the thirdwaypoint in the supply chain, in response to identifying the at leastone third information element on the first label where the invisible inkhas been activated by environmental conditions to become visible,rerouting the first perishable object through the supply chain for anewly identified purpose.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become morereadily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reviewingthe following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and operation of the present invention will be understoodfrom a review of the following detailed description and the accompanyingdrawings in which like reference numerals refer to like parts and inwhich:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example supply chain management infrastructure, inwhich one or more of the processes described herein, may be implemented,according to an aspect;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example processing system, with which at least aportion of one or more of the processes described herein, may beexecuted, according to an aspect;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example computer processing system, by which atleast a portion of one or more of the processes described herein, may beexecuted, according to an aspect;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example label that can be applied to an object ina supply chain management system, according to an aspect;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example label that can be applied to an object ina supply chain management system, according to an aspect;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example portion of a label that can be applied toan object in a supply chain management system, according to an aspect;

FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C illustrate an example label in a supply chainmanagement system dynamically changing in response to environmentalconditions, according to an aspect;

FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C illustrate an example label in a supply chainmanagement system dynamically changing in response to environmentalconditions, according to an aspect;

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C and 9D illustrate an example label in a supply chainmanagement system dynamically changing, in response to environmentalconditions, according to an aspect;

FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10C illustrate an example label in a supply chainmanagement system dynamically changing, in response to environmentalconditions, according to an aspect;

FIG. 11 illustrates an example process for supply chain management,according to an aspect;

FIG. 12 illustrates an example process for supply chain management,according to an aspect;

FIG. 13 illustrates an example process for supply chain management,according to an aspect; and

FIG. 14 illustrates an example process for supply chain management,according to an aspect.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for supply chain management.For example, one method disclosed herein allows for a label to beapplied to an object in the supply chain. The label includes one or moreinformation elements printed in one or more inks that dynamically changein response to environmental conditions. The objects with the labels inthe supply chain are processed at one or more waypoints of the supplychain to activate the one or more inks or to analyze the labels andprocess the objects in accordance with the presence, absence, and/orappearance of the information elements at the waypoints.

After reading this description it will become apparent to one skilled inthe art how to implement the invention in various alternativeembodiments and alternative applications. However, although variousembodiments of the present invention will be described herein, it isunderstood that these embodiments are presented by way of example only,and not limitation. As such, this detailed description of variousalternative embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope orbreadth of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example infrastructure in which one or more of thedisclosed processes may be implemented, according to an embodiment. Theinfrastructure may comprise a platform 110 (e.g., one or more servers)which hosts and/or executes one or more of the various functions,processes, methods, and/or software modules described herein, forexample, a supply chain management system. Platform 110 may comprisededicated servers, or may instead comprise cloud instances, whichutilize shared resources of one or more servers. These servers or cloudinstances may be collocated and/or geographically distributed. Platform110 may also comprise or be communicatively connected to a serverapplication 112 and/or one or more databases 114. In addition, platform110 may be communicatively connected to one or more user systems 130 viaone or more networks 120, for example a user systems 130 at one or morewaystations in the supply chain. Platform 110 may also becommunicatively connected to one or more external systems 140 (e.g.,other platforms, websites, waystations in the supply chain, etc.) viaone or more networks 120.

Network(s) 120 may comprise the Internet, and platform 110 maycommunicate with user system(s) 130 through the Internet using standardtransmission protocols, such as HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), HTTPSecure (HTTPS), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), FTP Secure (FTPS), SecureShell FTP (SFTP), and the like, as well as proprietary protocols. Whileplatform 110 is illustrated as being connected to various systemsthrough a single set of network(s) 120, it should be understood thatplatform 110 may be connected to the various systems via different setsof one or more networks. For example, platform 110 may be connected to asubset of user systems 130 and/or external systems 140 via the Internet,but may be connected to one or more other user systems 130 and/orexternal systems 140 via an intranet. Furthermore, while only a few usersystems 130 and external systems 140, one server application 112, andone set of database(s) 114 are illustrated, it should be understood thatthe infrastructure may comprise any number of user systems, externalsystems, server applications, and databases.

User system(s) 130 may comprise any type or types of computing devicescapable of wired and/or wireless communication, including withoutlimitation, server computers, desktop computers, laptop computers,tablet computers, smart phones or other mobile phones, image scanners,infra-red scanners, bar code scanners, machine vision scanners, colorscanners, infrared scanners, other scanners, light wands, ultravioletlight wands, illumination systems, conveyer systems, food processingsystems, ten key devices, head mounted displays, game consoles, set-topboxes, video terminals, televisions, electronic kiosks, point-of-saleterminals, printers, ink jet printers, ink jet sprayers, print plates,Automated Teller Machines, and/or the like.

Platform 110 may comprise web servers which host one or more websitesand/or web services. For example, a web service could be a supply chainmanagement system that operates on remote servers via the network 120and allows access by one or more user systems 130 and external systems140 to manage products making their way through the supply chain. Inembodiments in which a website is provided, the website may comprise agraphical user interface, including, for example, one or more screens(e.g., webpages) generated in HyperText Markup Language (HTML) or otherlanguage. Platform 110 transmits or serves one or more screens of thegraphical user interface in response to requests from user system(s)130. In some embodiments, these screens may be served in the form of awizard, in which case two or more screens may be served in a sequentialmanner, and one or more of the sequential screens may depend on aninteraction of the user or user system 130 with one or more precedingscreens. The requests to platform 110 and the responses from platform110, including the screens of the graphical user interface, may both becommunicated through network(s) 120, which may include the Internet,using standard communication protocols (e.g., HTTP, HTTPS, etc.). Thesescreens (e.g., webpages) may comprise a combination of content andelements, such as text, images, videos, animations, references (e.g.,hyperlinks), frames, inputs (e.g., textboxes, text areas, checkboxes,radio buttons, drop-down menus, buttons, forms, etc.), scripts (e.g.,JavaScript), and the like, including elements comprising or derived fromdata stored in one or more databases (e.g., database(s) 114) that arelocally and/or remotely accessible to platform 110. Platform 110 mayalso respond to other requests from user system(s) 130.

Platform 110 may further comprise, be communicatively coupled with, orotherwise have access to one or more database(s) 114. For example,platform 110 may comprise one or more database servers which manage oneor more databases 114 for implementing a supply chain management system.A user system 130 or server application 112 executing on platform 110may submit data (e.g., user data, form data, etc.) to be stored indatabase(s) 114, and/or request access to data stored in database(s)114. Any suitable database may be utilized, including without limitationMySQL™, Oracle™, IBM™, Microsoft SQL™, Access™, PostgreSQL™, and thelike, including cloud-based databases and proprietary databases. Datamay be sent to platform 110, for instance, using the well-known POSTrequest supported by HTTP, via FTP, and/or the like. This data, as wellas other requests, may be handled, for example, by server-side webtechnology, such as a servlet or other software module (e.g., comprisedin server application 112), executed by platform 110.

In embodiments in which a web service is provided, platform 110 mayreceive requests from external system(s) 140, and provide responses ineXtensible Markup Language (XML), JavaScript Object Notation (JSON),and/or any other suitable or desired format. In such embodiments,platform 110 may provide an application programming interface (API)which defines the manner in which user system(s) 130 and/or externalsystem(s) 140 may interact with the web service. Thus, user system(s)130 and/or external system(s) 140 (which may themselves be servers), candefine their own user interfaces, and rely on the web service toimplement or otherwise provide the backend processes, methods,functionality, storage, and/or the like, described herein. For example,in such an embodiment, a client application 132 executing on one or moreuser system(s) 130 may interact with a server application 112 executingon platform 110 to execute one or more or a portion of one or more ofthe various functions, processes, methods, and/or software modulesdescribed herein. Client application 132 may be “thin,” in which caseprocessing is primarily carried out server-side by server application112 on platform 110. A basic example of a thin client application 132 isa browser application, which simply requests, receives, and renderswebpages at user system(s) 130, while server application 112 on platform110 is responsible for generating the webpages and managing databasefunctions. Alternatively, the client application may be “thick,” inwhich case processing is primarily carried out client-side by usersystem(s) 130. It should be understood that client application 132 mayperform an amount of processing, relative to server application 112 onplatform 110, at any point along this spectrum between “thin” and“thick,” depending on the design goals of the particular implementation.In any case, the application described herein, which may wholly resideon either platform 110 (e.g., in which case server application 112performs all processing) or user system(s) 130 (e.g., in which caseclient application 132 performs all processing) or be distributedbetween platform 110 and user system(s) 130 (e.g., in which case serverapplication 112 and client application 132 both perform processing), cancomprise one or more executable software modules that implement one ormore of the processes, methods, or functions of the applicationdescribed herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example processing system 200, with which at leasta portion of one or more of the processes described herein, may beexecuted, according to an aspect. In one aspect, the system 200 may beimplemented in a large processing plant with large ingress/egressopenings for moving large amounts of product through the processingplant. The processing system 200 may have multiple waypoints connectedby a product transport system 260. In an aspect, the product transportsystem 260 comprises at least in part a conveyor system thatautomatically moves product to different waypoints in a predeterminedorder or in a dynamically determined order. Additionally, as the productmoves through the processing system 200, it may be processed by each ofthe waypoints in any order, or it may be processed by less than all ofthe waypoints in any order, and in either scenario (all waypoints orless than all waypoints) the product may visit some waypoints more thanonce.

In the illustrated aspect, the various waypoints include a receivingstation 205, temperature controlled storage station 210, imaging station215, sorting station 220, labeling station 225, treatment station 235,scanning station 240, illumination station 245, packaging station 250and shipping station 255.

The receiving station 205 is configured to facilitate ingress of productand may include one or more vehicle bays and one or more storage areas.Similarly, the shipping station 255 is configured to facilitate egressof product and may include one or more vehicle bays and one or morestorage areas. In one aspect, the receiving station 205 and the shippingstation 255 may be combined. When the product is received, it may have alabel applied to each individual piece or the product may be unlabeled.

Temperature controlled storage station 210 is configured to maintain theproduct at a desirable temperature, for example between 38 degreesFahrenheit and 41 degrees Fahrenheit. In one aspect, when the product isinitially placed into the temperature controlled storage station 210,the contiguous cold chain analysis begins. The cold chain analysis isdesigned to monitor the environment of the product to identify anybreaks in the cold chain. A break in the cold chain is identified whenthe ambient environment of the product exceeds a predeterminedtemperature for a predetermined amount of time. For example, if theambient environment temperature exceeds 55 degrees Fahrenheit for morethan 45 minutes.

The imaging station 215 is configured to capture one or more images ofeach piece of product. In one aspect, the imaging station 215 isconfigured to capture multiple images of each piece of product toapproximate a 360 degree view of each individual piece of product. Suchimages are then analyzed to determine the quality of the individualpiece of product so that unsuitable individual pieces may be rejected.In one aspect, two or more digital images of an individual piece ofproduct are captured to approximate a 360 degree view of the individualpiece of product and the two or more digital images are analyzed by aprogrammed module trained to identify defects in the product andproducts with defects that exceed a predetermined threshold arerejected.

The sorting station 220 is configured to sort the individual pieces ofthe product. In one aspect the individual pieces of product are sortedby weight. Alternatively, individual pieces may be sorted by size or bya combination of weight and size. In one aspect the imaging station 215and sorting station 220 may be combined.

The labeling station 225 is configured to apply a label to eachindividual piece of product. In one aspect, only individual pieces ofproduct that were unlabeled when received by the receiving station 205and were not rejected by the imaging station 215 and that were sorted bythe sorting station 220 are processed by the labeling station 225. Thelabeling station 225 may apply a pre-printed label to each individualpiece of product. The pre-printed label may include a plurality ofdifferent types of ink. A first type of ink is a durable visible ink,which may be of a variety of different colors. A second type of ink is achangeable ink that is activated by certain environmental conditions. Achangeable ink may be visible or invisible and the environmentalconditions may, for example, activate the changeable ink to make itvisible or activate the changeable ink to change it from a first colorto a second color.

In an aspect, the changeable ink may be configured to change only onetime, for example from invisible to visible. Alternatively, thechangeable ink may be configured to change multiple times, for examplefrom invisible to visible and from a first color to a second color. Thechangeable ink may also be configured to change a first time (e.g., frominvisible to visible) and then reverse that change (e.g., from visibleto invisible). Additionally, the changeable ink also be configured todeactivate so that it can no longer change, regardless of theenvironmental conditions. For example the changeable ink may beconfigured to change color or become visible in accordance withpredetermined environmental conditions (e.g., when the ambienttemperature exceeds a predetermined threshold for a predetermined periodof time) and the changeable ink may also be configured to become fixedin its current state (e.g., current color, visible, or invisible). Forexample, the changeable ink may be illuminated with a certain wavelengthof light that causes the changeable ink to no longer be changeable.

The treatment station 235 is configured to treat the product. In oneaspect, treating the product comprises applying a coating to the surfaceof the product. For example, the coating may be a protective coating.For example, one type of protective coating may be an ethyleneinhibitor.

The scanning station 240 is configured to scan the product and determinea size of the product. The scanning station 240 is also configured tosort the product by size so it can be delivered, for example, to thepackaging station to be packaged up by size.

The illumination station 245 is configured to flood the product with oneor more wavelengths of light in order to activate one or more inks ofthe labels applied to individual pieces of product. In an aspect, theillumination station 245 is configured to flood the product with anultraviolet light to activate an ink on the labels applied to individualpieces of product.

The packaging station 250 is configured to assemble individual pieces ofproduct into appropriate packaging to allow the product to be shipped toits next destination.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example wired or wirelesssystem 300 that may be used in connection with various embodimentsdescribed herein. For example, system 300 may be used as or inconjunction with one or more of the functions, processes, or methods(e.g., to store and/or execute the application or one or more softwaremodules of the application) described herein, and may representcomponents of platform 110, user system(s) 130, external system(s) 140,and/or other processing devices described herein. System 300 can be aserver or any conventional personal computer, or any otherprocessor-enabled device that is capable of wired or wireless datacommunication. Other computer systems and/or architectures may be alsoused, as will be clear to those skilled in the art.

System 300 preferably includes one or more processors, such as processor310. Additional processors may be provided, such as an auxiliaryprocessor to manage input/output, an auxiliary processor to performfloating-point mathematical operations, a special-purpose microprocessorhaving an architecture suitable for fast execution of signal-processingalgorithms (e.g., digital-signal processor), a slave processorsubordinate to the main processing system (e.g., back-end processor), anadditional microprocessor or controller for dual or multiple processorsystems, and/or a coprocessor. Such auxiliary processors may be discreteprocessors or may be integrated with processor 310. Examples ofprocessors which may be used with system 300 include, withoutlimitation, the Pentium® processor, Core i7® processor, and Xeon®processor, all of which are available from Intel Corporation of SantaClara, California.

Processor 310 is preferably connected to a communication bus 305.Communication bus 305 may include a data channel for facilitatinginformation transfer between storage and other peripheral components ofsystem 300. Furthermore, communication bus 305 may provide a set ofsignals used for communication with processor 310, including a data bus,address bus, and/or control bus (not shown). Communication bus 305 maycomprise any standard or non-standard bus architecture such as, forexample, bus architectures compliant with industry standard architecture(ISA), extended industry standard architecture (EISA), Micro ChannelArchitecture (MCA), peripheral component interconnect (PCI) local bus,standards promulgated by the Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) including IEEE 488 general-purpose interface bus(GPIB), IEEE 696/S-100, and/or the like.

System 300 preferably includes a main memory 315 and may also include asecondary memory 320. Main memory 315 provides storage of instructionsand data for programs executing on processor 310, such as one or more ofthe functions and/or modules discussed herein. It should be understoodthat programs stored in the memory and executed by processor 310 may bewritten and/or compiled according to any suitable language, includingwithout limitation C/C++, Java, JavaScript, Perl, PHP Framework, VisualBasic, .NET, and the like. Main memory 315 is typicallysemiconductor-based memory such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM)and/or static random access memory (SRAM). Other semiconductor-basedmemory types include, for example, synchronous dynamic random accessmemory (SDRAM), Rambus dynamic random access memory (RDRAM),ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), and the like, including readonly memory (ROM).

Secondary memory 320 may optionally include an internal medium 325and/or a removable medium 330. Removable medium 330 is read from and/orwritten to in any well-known manner. Removable storage medium 330 maybe, for example, a magnetic tape drive, a compact disc (CD) drive, adigital versatile disc (DVD) drive, other optical drive, a flash memorydrive, and/or the like.

Secondary memory 320 is a non-transitory computer-readable medium havingcomputer-executable code (e.g., disclosed software modules) and/or otherdata stored thereon. The computer software or data stored on secondarymemory 320 is read into main memory 315 for execution by processor 310.

In alternative embodiments, secondary memory 320 may include othersimilar means for allowing computer programs or other data orinstructions to be loaded into system 300. Such means may include, forexample, a communication interface 345, which allows software and datato be transferred from external storage medium 350 to system 300.Examples of external storage medium 350 may include an external harddisk drive, an external optical drive, an external magneto-opticaldrive, and/or the like. Other examples of secondary memory 320 mayinclude semiconductor-based memory, such as programmable read-onlymemory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), and flash memory(block-oriented memory similar to EEPROM).

As mentioned above, system 300 may include a communication interface345. Communication interface 345 allows software and data to betransferred between system 300 and external devices (e.g. printers),networks, or other information sources. For example, computer softwareor executable code may be transferred to system 300 from a networkserver (e.g., platform 110) via communication interface 345. Examples ofcommunication interface 345 include a built-in network adapter, networkinterface card (NIC), Personal Computer Memory Card InternationalAssociation (PCMCIA) network card, card bus network adapter, wirelessnetwork adapter, Universal Serial Bus (USB) network adapter, modem, awireless data card, a communications port, an infrared interface, anIEEE 1394 fire-wire, and any other device capable of interfacing system300 with a network (e.g., network(s) 120) or another computing device.Communication interface 345 preferably implements industry-promulgatedprotocol standards, such as Ethernet IEEE 802 standards, Fiber Channel,digital subscriber line (DSL), asynchronous digital subscriber line(ADSL), frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), integrateddigital services network (ISDN), personal communications services (PCS),transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), serial lineInternet protocol/point to point protocol (SLIP/PPP), and so on, but mayalso implement customized or non-standard interface protocols as well.

Software and data transferred via communication interface 345 aregenerally in the form of electrical communication signals 360. Thesesignals 360 may be provided to communication interface 345 via acommunication channel 355. In an embodiment, communication channel 355may be a wired or wireless network (e.g., network(s) 120), or anyvariety of other communication links. Communication channel 355 carriessignals 360 and can be implemented using a variety of wired or wirelesscommunication means including wire or cable, fiber optics, conventionalphone line, cellular phone link, wireless data communication link, radiofrequency (“RF”) link, or infrared link, just to name a few.

Computer-executable code (e.g., computer programs, such as the disclosedapplication, or software modules) is stored in main memory 315 and/orsecondary memory 320. Computer programs can also be received viacommunication interface 345 and stored in main memory 315 and/orsecondary memory 320. Such computer programs, when executed, enablesystem 300 to perform the various functions of the disclosed embodimentsas described elsewhere herein.

In this description, the term “computer-readable medium” is used torefer to any non-transitory computer-readable storage media used toprovide computer-executable code and/or other data to or within system300. Examples of such media include main memory 315, secondary memory320 (including internal memory 325, removable medium 330, and externalstorage medium 350), and any peripheral device communicatively coupledwith communication interface 345 (including a network information serveror other network device). These non-transitory computer-readable mediaare means for providing executable code, programming instructions,software, and/or other data to system 300.

In an embodiment that is implemented using software, the software may bestored on a computer-readable medium and loaded into system 300 by wayof removable medium 330, I/O interface 335, or communication interface345. In such an embodiment, the software is loaded into system 300 inthe form of electrical communication signals 360. The software, whenexecuted by processor 310, preferably causes processor 310 to performone or more of the processes and functions described elsewhere herein.

In an embodiment, I/O interface 335 provides an interface between one ormore components of system 300 and one or more input and/or outputdevices 340. Example input devices include, without limitation, sensors,keyboards, touch screens or other touch-sensitive devices, biometricsensing devices, computer mice, trackballs, pen-based pointing devices,and/or the like. Examples of output devices include, without limitation,other processing devices, cathode ray tubes (CRTs), plasma displays,light-emitting diode (LED) displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs),printers, vacuum fluorescent displays (VFDs), surface-conductionelectron-emitter displays (SEDs), field emission displays (FEDs), headmounted displays (HMDs), and/or the like. In some cases, an input andoutput device 340 may be combined, such as in the case of a touch paneldisplay (e.g., in a smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device).

In an embodiment, the I/O device 340 may be any type of external orintegrated display and may include one or more discrete displays that inaggregate form the I/O device 340. The I/O device 340 may be capable of2D or 3D presentation of visual information to a user of the system 300.In one embodiment, the I/O device 340 may be a virtual reality oraugmented reality device in the form of HMD by the user so the user mayvisualize the presentation of information in 3D.

System 300 may also include optional wireless communication componentsthat facilitate wireless communication over a voice network and/or adata network (e.g., in the case of user system 130). The wirelesscommunication components comprise an antenna system 375, a radio system370, and a baseband system 365. In system 300, radio frequency (RF)signals are transmitted and received over the air by antenna system 375under the management of radio system 370.

In an embodiment, antenna system 375 may comprise one or more antennaeand one or more multiplexors (not shown) that perform a switchingfunction to provide antenna system 375 with transmit and receive signalpaths. In the receive path, received RF signals can be coupled from amultiplexor to a low noise amplifier (not shown) that amplifies thereceived RF signal and sends the amplified signal to radio system 370.

In an alternative embodiment, radio system 370 may comprise one or moreradios that are configured to communicate over various frequencies. Inan embodiment, radio system 370 may combine a demodulator (not shown)and modulator (not shown) in one integrated circuit (IC). Thedemodulator and modulator can also be separate components. In theincoming path, the demodulator strips away the RF carrier signal leavinga baseband receive audio signal, which is sent from radio system 370 tobaseband system 365.

If the received signal contains audio information, then baseband system365 decodes the signal and converts it to an analog signal. Then thesignal is amplified and sent to a speaker. Baseband system 365 alsoreceives analog audio signals from a microphone. These analog audiosignals are converted to digital signals and encoded by baseband system365. Baseband system 365 also encodes the digital signals fortransmission and generates a baseband transmit audio signal that isrouted to the modulator portion of radio system 370. The modulator mixesthe baseband transmit audio signal with an RF carrier signal, generatingan RF transmit signal that is routed to antenna system 375 and may passthrough a power amplifier (not shown). The power amplifier amplifies theRF transmit signal and routes it to antenna system 375, where the signalis switched to the antenna port for transmission.

Baseband system 365 is also communicatively coupled with processor 310,which may be a central processing unit (CPU). Processor 310 has accessto data storage areas 315 and 320. Processor 310 is preferablyconfigured to execute instructions (i.e., computer programs, such as thedisclosed application, or software modules) that can be stored in mainmemory 315 or secondary memory 320. Computer programs can also bereceived from baseband processor 360 and stored in main memory 310 or insecondary memory 320, or executed upon receipt. Such computer programs,when executed, enable system 300 to perform the various functions of thedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example label 400 that can be applied to an objectin a supply chain management system, according to one aspect. The label400 may have an adhesive applied to one side to allow the label to beaffixed to an object. The other side of the label 400 includes a field410, which may have multiple subsections, and multiple informationelements 420, 430, 440, and 450 that are positioned on the field 410. Inthe illustrated aspect, information elements 420, 430, 440, and 450 areall positioned on the field 410 of the label 400. In alternativeaspects, there may be more or fewer information elements on the label400 and they may be larger or smaller than illustrated in FIG. 1 andpositioned in location different from the locations illustrated in FIG.1 . Each information element may convey different information that ishelpful to the processing of the object upon which the label 400 isaffixed.

The material used to form the label 400 may be polyester, polypropylene,paper, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, or other naturalsubstances, processed substances, or plastics may be originally white incolor such that the field 410 is white prior to processing the label 400to apply the field 410 and place the various information elements 420,430, 440, and 450.

In one aspect, the field 410 and each information element 420, 430, 440,and 450 may be printed using a variety of different types of ink. Afirst type of ink is a durable visible ink in a variety of colors. Asecond type of ink is an ink that is activated by certain environmentalconditions. For example, the ink may originally be invisible and becomevisible when appropriate environmental conditions are present.Alternatively, the ink may originally be a first color and become asecond color when appropriate environmental conditions are present.Additional transitions from a first state of the ink to a second stateof the ink are also envisioned.

One example of an appropriate environmental condition includes thermalactivation where the invisible ink becomes visible at a certaintemperature or changes color at a certain temperature. Another exampleof an appropriate environmental condition includes ultraviolet lightactivation where the invisible ink becomes visible when exposed to acertain wavelength of light, such as ultraviolet light at a wavelengthof 254 nanometers. Another example of an appropriate environmentalcondition includes chemical activation where the invisible ink becomesvisible when exposed to a certain chemical, such as an acidic or basicsolution or an aerosol or solution having a specific chemical property.Additional examples of appropriate environmental conditions to activatethe ink and transition the ink from a first state to a second state arealso envisioned.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example label 500 that can be applied to an objectin a supply chain management system, according to one aspect. Forexample, the object the label 500 is applied to may be a perishableproduct such as an avocado. As shown, the label 500 has informationelements 520, 530, 540, 550, and 560 positioned on the field 510. Thefield 510 is a neutral white color, information element 520 includes abarcode, information element 530 includes a temperature gauge,information element 540 includes a variable processing element,information 550 includes product specific information, and informationelement 560 includes a product description.

The neutral white color of the field 510 may be the color of material ofthe label 500 or may be the color of an ink applied to the field 510, orboth. The barcode included in information element 520 can be printed indurable black ink or variable ink that changes color when activated. Thebarcode itself may be scanned by a user system at any waypoint along thesupply chain to access information about the product to which the label500 is affixed. The temperature gauge 530 may be printed in both durableink and several different invisible inks to allow for variation in thevisibility of ink filling up the boxes corresponding to differenttemperatures of the environment that the product was subjected to in thesupply chain. The information element 540 may include an invisible inkbrand corresponding to a specific brand of treatment applied to theproduct upon which the label is affixed. In one aspect, the product hasthe specific brand of treatment applied to it and then subsequently,after the label is affixed to the product, it is subjected to theappropriate environmental conditions to activate the invisible ink andcause the brand to become visible and convey, e.g., to a machine visionprocessing system, that the product has been so treated.

The information element 550 may include a variety of product specificinformation such as the geographic source of the product or acharacteristic of the product and the information element 560 mayinclude a variety of information about the product such as a productdescription. Additional information elements with various additionalinformation may also be included on the label 500.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example information element portion 430 of a labelthat can be applied to an object in a supply chain management system,according to an aspect. As shown, the information element portion 430includes sub-portions 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660, 670, and 680. Aswill be understood, any information element may have a plurality ofsub-portions and the sub-portions may in turn have a plurality ofsub-sub-portions and so on. In the illustrated aspect, temperaturevalues, e.g., in Fahrenheit, are printed in the information element 430,for example in durable black ink. The boxes that define sub-portions610, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660, 670, and 680 are also printed in durableblack ink. Inside each box, the respective sub-portion 610, 620, 630,640, 650, 660, 670, and 680 is printed with one or more temperatureactivated invisible ink such that when the appropriate environmentconditions are present (e.g., exceeding a particular temperature for apredetermined amount of time), the inside of the respective box definingthe sub-portion 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660, 670, and 680 is wholly orpartially filled in to convey, e.g., to a machine vision processingsystem, an approximation of the maximum temperature the product has beenstored at within the supply chain. In one aspect, if the maximumtemperature exceeds a predetermined threshold, e.g., 55 degreesFahrenheit, the supply chain management system is configured to examinethe supply chain history of the product to determine if the productshould be removed from the supply chain.

FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C illustrate an example label 700 in a supply chainmanagement system dynamically changing in response to environmentalconditions, according to an aspect. As shown in FIG. 7A the label 700includes information elements 710, and 715 positioned upon field 705.The field 705 is printed with a first invisible ink, but the firstinvisible ink has not been activated so the field 705 appears as aneutral white color. Information unit 710 includes a barcode printed indurable black ink and is also printed with a second invisible ink, butthe second invisible ink has not been activated so the informationelement 710 appears to only include the barcode on a neutral whitebackground. Information unit 715 includes a product description printedin durable black ink.

Turning to FIG. 7B, in this aspect, appropriate environmental conditionswere present (e.g., a certain ambient temperature for a predeterminedamount of time or the presence of an ultraviolet light for apredetermined amount of time) to activate the first invisible ink on thefield 705 but not to activate the second invisible ink on theinformation unit 710. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7B, the entire field705 has changed to a new color representing by the hashing. For example,the new color may be a light green or a light red color so that thedurable black ink of the barcode in information unit 710 and the durableblack ink of the product description in information unit 715 remainvisible.

Turning to FIG. 7C, in this aspect, appropriate environmental conditionswere present (e.g., a certain ambient temperature for a predeterminedamount of time or the presence of an ultraviolet light for apredetermined amount of time) to activate the second invisible ink onthe information unit 710 but not to activate the first invisible ink onthe field 705. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7C, the entire informationunit 710 has changed to a new color representing by the hashing. Forexample, the new color may be a light green or a light red color so thatthe durable black ink of the barcode in information unit 710 remainsvisible.

FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C illustrate an example label 800 in a supply chainmanagement system dynamically changing in response to environmentalconditions, according to an aspect. As shown in FIG. 8A the label 800includes information elements 810, and 815 positioned upon field 805.The barcode appearing in information unit 810 is printed with a firstinvisible ink, but the first invisible ink has not been activated so thebarcode in the information unit 810 appears as a black color. Similarly,information unit 815 includes a product description printed with asecond invisible ink, but the second invisible ink has not beenactivated so the product description in the information unit 815 appearsas a black color.

Turning to FIG. 8B, in this aspect, appropriate environmental conditionswere present for a sufficient amount of time to activate the secondinvisible ink in the information unit 815 but not to activate the firstinvisible ink in the information unit 810. Accordingly, as shown in FIG.8B, the barcode in the information unit 810 remains in the black colorwhile the product description in the information unit 815 has changed toa new color represented by the different font. For example, the new textcolor for the product description in information unit 815 may be a darkgreen color.

Turning to FIG. 8C, in this aspect, appropriate environmental conditionswere present for a sufficient amount of time to activate the firstinvisible ink in the information unit 810 and also to activate thesecond invisible ink in the information unit 815. Accordingly, as shownin FIG. 8C, the barcode in the information unit 810 has changed to a newcolor represented by the thicker lines. For example, the new color forthe barcode in information unit 810 may be a dark green color.Similarly, the product description in the information unit 815 haschanged to a new color represented by the different font. For example,the new text color for the product description in information unit 815may be the same dark green color or may be a color that is differentfrom the new color of the barcode in information unit 810.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C and 9D illustrate an example label 900 in a supplychain management system dynamically changing in response toenvironmental conditions, according to an aspect. As shown in FIG. 9Athe label 900 includes information elements 910, and 915 positioned uponfield 905. Information unit 915 includes a product description printedin durable black ink. Information unit 910 includes a series oftemperature values (e.g., in Fahrenheit) and corresponding empty boxesprinted in durable black ink. The inside portion of each of the emptyboxes of information unit 910 is printed with a different invisible ink,where each different invisible ink is activated in accordance withdifferent environmental conditions, e.g., a different temperature of theambient environment for a predetermined amount of time, where eachtemperature and each time may be different. However, as shown in FIG.9A, the invisible inks have not been activated so the information unit910 includes only the durable black ink printed on the neutral whitecolor of the field 905.

Turning to FIG. 9B, in this aspect, appropriate ideal environmentalconditions were present (e.g., a certain ambient temperature for apredetermined amount of time or the presence of an ultraviolet light fora predetermined amount of time) to activate the invisible ink in onlythe 40 degree range temperature box of the information unit 910.Environmental conditions were not present to activate the invisible inkin the other temperature range boxes of the information unit 910. As canbe understood, the presence of the visible ink in the single box mayconvey, e.g., to a machine vision processing system, an approximation ofthe minimum and maximum temperature (e.g., about 40 degrees) the producthas been stored at within the supply chain. In one aspect, if themaximum temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold, e.g., 55 degreesFahrenheit, the supply chain management system is configured to examinethe supply chain history of the product to determine if the productshould be removed from the supply chain.

Turning to FIG. 9C, in this aspect, environmental conditions werepresent (e.g., a certain ambient temperature for a predetermined amountof time or the presence of an ultraviolet light for a predeterminedamount of time) to activate the invisible ink in the 40 degree, 35degree, and 30 degree boxes of the information unit 910. Environmentalconditions were not present to activate the invisible ink in the othertemperature range boxes of the information unit 910. As can beunderstood, the presence of the visible ink in the 40 degree, 35 degree,and 30 degree boxes may convey, e.g., to a machine vision processingsystem, an approximation of the minimum and maximum temperatures theproduct has been stored at within the supply chain. As shown, becausethe minimum temperature appears to have exceeded the predeterminedminimum threshold of 31 degrees Fahrenheit, the supply chain managementsystem is configured to examine the supply chain history of the product(or box of product or pallet of product) to determine if the productshould be removed from the supply chain.

Turning to FIG. 9D, in this aspect, environmental conditions werepresent (e.g., a certain ambient temperature for a predetermined amountof time or the presence of an ultraviolet light for a predeterminedamount of time) to activate the invisible ink in the 40 degree, 45degree, 50 degree, 55 degree, and 60 degree boxes of the informationunit 910. Environmental conditions were not present to activate theinvisible ink in the other temperature range boxes of the informationunit 910. As can be understood, the presence of the visible ink in the40 degree, 45 degree, 50 degree, 55 degree, and 60 degree boxes mayconvey, e.g., to a machine vision processing system, an approximation ofthe minimum and maximum temperatures the product has been stored atwithin the supply chain. As shown, because the maximum temperatureappears to have exceeded the predetermined maximum threshold of 55degrees Fahrenheit, the supply chain management system is configured toexamine the supply chain history of the product (or box of product orpallet of product) to determine if the product should be removed fromthe supply chain.

FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10C illustrate an example label 1000 in a supplychain management system dynamically changing in response toenvironmental conditions, according to an aspect. As shown in FIG. 10Athe label 1000 includes information elements 1010, and 1015 positionedupon field 1005. Information unit 1015 includes a product descriptionprinted in durable black ink. Information unit 1010 includes a series oftemperature values (e.g., in Fahrenheit) below a long rectangle. Thetemperature values and the long rectangle are printed in durable blackink. The inside portion of the long rectangle of information unit 1010is printed with a plurality of different invisible inks, where eachdifferent invisible ink is activated in accordance with differentenvironmental conditions, e.g., a different temperature of the ambientenvironment for a predetermined amount of time, where each temperatureand each time may be different. Alternatively, the inside portion of thelong rectangle of information unit 1010 may be printed with a variableinvisible ink, where the amount of invisible ink that is activated(e.g., from left to right) varies in accordance with differentenvironmental conditions, e.g., increasing temperatures of the ambientenvironment for a predetermined amount of time results in an increase(from left to right) of the amount of ink that becomes visible. However,as shown in FIG. 10A, the variable invisible ink has not been activatedso the information unit 1010 includes only the durable black ink printedon the neutral white color of the field 1005.

Turning to FIG. 10B, in this aspect, environmental conditions werepresent (e.g., a certain ambient temperature for a predetermined amountof time or the presence of an ultraviolet light for a predeterminedamount of time) to activate the invisible ink in a first portion of thelong rectangle (represented by the hashing) of the information unit 1010but not to activate the invisible ink in remaining portion of the longrectangle of the information unit 1010. As can be understood, thepresence of the visible ink in the long rectangle may convey, e.g., to amachine vision processing system, an approximation of the minimum andmaximum temperature (e.g., between 39 and 48 degrees) the product hasbeen stored at within the supply chain. In one aspect, if the maximumtemperature exceeds a predetermined threshold, e.g., 47 or 48 degreesFahrenheit, the supply chain management system is configured to examinethe supply chain history of the product to determine if the productshould be removed from the supply chain.

Turning to FIG. 10C, in this aspect, environmental conditions werepresent (e.g., a certain ambient temperature for a predetermined amountof time or the presence of an ultraviolet light for a predeterminedamount of time) to activate the invisible ink in a first portion of thelong rectangle (represented by the hashing) of the information unit 1010but not to activate the invisible ink in the remaining portion of thelong rectangle of the information unit 1010. As can be understood, thepresence of the visible ink in the first portion of the long rectanglemay convey, e.g., to a machine vision processing system, anapproximation of the minimum and maximum temperature (e.g., between 31and 41 degrees) the product has been stored at within the supply chain.As shown, because the minimum temperature exceeds the predeterminedminimum threshold of 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the supply chain managementsystem is configured to examine the supply chain history of the product(or box of product or pallet of product) to determine if the productshould be removed from the supply chain.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example process 1100 for supply chain management,according to an aspect. The illustrated process may be carried out inconnection with the supply chain management infrastructure, processingsystem, and computer processing system described in connection withFIGS. 1-3 . Initially, a label is obtained at 1110. The label may be anyof a variety of pre-printed and blank labels, for example any one of thelabels previously described in connection with FIGS. 4-10C. The materialused to form the label may be polyester, polypropylene, paper,polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, or other natural substances,processed substances, or plastics. In one aspect, the label has a firstside and a second side and the first side is configured to affix thelabel to a first object. For example, the first side may have a glue orother adhesive applied to it or the first side may have one portion of ahook and loop fastener or a magnetic fastener or a tension fit (e.g.,snap) fastener or the like.

Next, at 1120 one or more information elements are printed on the label.Preferably, the information elements are printed on the side of thelabel that does not include the adhesive/fastener. The informationelements may be printed in a variety of types of ink include durablevisible ink and ink that may change when exposed to certainenvironmental conditions. One example of an ink that may change whenexposed to certain environmental conditions is an invisible ink thatchanges to become visible when exposed to ultraviolet light. Anotherexample of an ink that may change when exposed to certain environmentalconditions is a visible ink that changes from a first color to a secondcolor when exposed to a temperature that exceeds 55 degrees Fahrenheitfor over 45 minutes.

In one aspect, a plurality of information elements are printed on thelabel and these information elements include at least one firstinformation element in a first ink that is a visible ink and at leastone second information element in a second ink that is invisible untilactivated by environmental conditions.

In one aspect, the second ink is configured to be thermally activatedwhen exposed to an environment having an ambient temperature thatexceeds a predetermined threshold in the range of 42 degrees to 60degrees.

In one aspect, the label has information elements printed thereon thatcomprise visible ink, ink that is thermally activated, and ink that isconfigured to be activated when exposed to an ultraviolet light. Inanother aspect, the information elements include at least one bar codeand one price look up code.

At 1130, the label is affixed to an object. One example of an objectwould be a product. One example of a product would be a perishable itemsuch as an avocado or other type of fruit or vegetable. Another exampleof an object would be a pallet supporting a plurality of perishableproducts or a container holding a plurality of perishable products.Another example of an object would be a film, for example a film used towrap a collection of products or objects. Accordingly, at 1130, thelabel may be affixed directly to the object or to a pallet or containeror wrapping associated with the object.

After the label has been affixed to the object, the object travelsthrough the supply chain management infrastructure and is processed atvarious waypoints by various processing stations. These processingstations may include scanning and imaging stations that are configuredto analyze the label affixed to the object and during such analysis, asshown at 1140, an information element on the label in visible ink may beidentified as visible ink that has been activated by environmentalconditions. In one aspect, the activation is based on exposure to anenvironment for a time period that exceeds a predetermined time periodof 1 minute to 60 minutes. The activation of the visible ink may includechanging invisible ink to visible ink or it may include changing visibleink from a first color to a second color.

In an aspect, if visible ink activated by the environment is identifiedat 1140, a quality review is conducted for the object or a collection ofobjects related to the object to determine if the object or collectionof objects remains suitable for its original purpose. Accordingly, uponconclusion of the quality review, the object or collection of objectsmay continue through the supply chain as originally intended or theobject or collection of objects may be rerouted through the supply chainfor a newly identified purpose.

At 1150, upon identifying the information element with the visible inkthat has been activated by environmental conditions, the object to whichthe label has been applied is rejected. For example, the ink of theinformation element may have been originally printed in a first colorand then the ink of the information element changed to a second colorbecause the object was exposed to an environment with an ambienttemperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit or more for a period of timeexceeding a predetermined threshold (e.g., 45 minutes). In such ascenario, the change in color of the ink of the information elementsignals that the object was subjected to a cold chain break andconsequently the object is rejected. In one aspect, when an object isrejected it may be disposed of. In an alternative aspect, when an objectis rejected it may be rerouted through the supply chain for a newlyidentified purpose.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example process 1200 for supply chain management,according to an aspect. The illustrated process may be carried out inconnection with the supply chain management infrastructure, processingsystem, and computer processing system described in connection withFIGS. 1-3 . Initially, at 1210, a label having a first side and a secondside is obtained, where the first side is configured to affix the labelto a first object. Next, at 1220, a plurality of information elementsare printed on the second side of the label and at 1230 the label isaffixed to the first object. The plurality of information elementsinclude at least one first information element in a first ink that isvisible and the plurality of information elements include at least onesecond information element in a second ink that is invisible untilactivated by environmental conditions. The process in 1210, 1220, and1230 is similar to the process previously described with respect to1110, 1120, and 1130, so that description will not be repeated here.

In one aspect, the second ink is configured to be activated when exposedto an ultraviolet light and at 1240, the second ink is activated by byflooding the label affixed to the first object with an ultravioletlight. This can be done, for example, at an illumination station such aspreviously described with respect to FIG. 2 .

At 1250, the visible second ink is identified on the label applied tothe first object. This identification may be accomplished via scanningand/or imaging the label applied to the first object and analyzing theresulting image data to identify the visible second ink. This can bedone, for example, at a scanning station or imaging station such aspreviously described with respect to FIG. 2 .

At 1260, the first object having the label with the visible second inkis processed separately from similar objects not having visible secondink on their respective labels. For example, the first object having thelabel with the visible second ink may be packaged separately fromsimilar objects not having visible second ink on their respectivelabels. In one example, the visible second ink confirms that aprotective coating has been applied to the object and the absence of thevisible second ink confirms that the protective coating has not beenapplied to the object. Accordingly, the objects with the protectivecoating are packaged and sold together, e.g., at a higher price, and theobjects without the protective coating are packaged and sold together,e.g., at a lower price.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example process 1300 for supply chain management,according to an aspect. The illustrated process may be carried out inconnection with the supply chain management infrastructure, processingsystem, and computer processing system described in connection withFIGS. 1-3 . Initially, at 1310, a first label is affixed to a firstperishable product at a first waypoint in a supply chain, the firstlabel having at least one first information element in a visible ink andat least one second information element in an invisible ink. The labelmay be applied directly to a single perishable object or to a containerholding plural perishable objects or to a pallet supporting pluralperishable objects or plural containers holding plural perishableobjects or to a film or wrapping of a single perishable object or pluralperishable objects or the like.

Next, at 1320, the first label on the first perishable product isanalyzed at a second waypoint in the supply chain to identify at leastone second information element on the first label that has beenactivated by environmental conditions to become visible. Such activationmight be triggered, for example, by a cold chain break where theperishable product was subjected to an environment having an ambienttemperature over 55 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 45 minutes.Alternatively, such activation might be triggered, for example, by acold chain break where the perishable product was subjected to anenvironment having an ambient temperature under 31 degrees Fahrenheitfor more than 45 minutes.

The analysis may be accomplished via scanning and/or imaging the firstlabel applied to the first perishable product and analyzing image datacorresponding to the first perishable product to identify the at leastone second information element on the first label that has beenactivated by environmental conditions to become visible. This analysisand identification can be done, for example, at a scanning station orimaging station such as previously described with respect to FIG. 2 .

Next, at 1330, the first perishable product is removed from the supplychain in response to identifying the at least one second informationelement on the first label that has been activated by environmentalconditions to become visible. Advantageously, this allows individualperishable objects and/or containers and/or packages and/or pallets ofperishable objects that have been exposed to adverse environmentalconditions in the supply chain to be automatically identified andremoved from the supply chain.

In one aspect, the invisible ink may be activated by environmentalconditions and become visible ink at a temperature that exceeds apredetermined threshold in the range of 42 degrees to 60 degrees. Inanother aspect, the invisible ink may be activated by environmentalconditions and become visible ink when exposed to an ultraviolet light.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example process 1400 for supply chain management,according to an aspect. The illustrated process may be carried out inconnection with the supply chain management infrastructure, processingsystem, and computer processing system described in connection withFIGS. 1-3 . Initially, at 1410, a label is affixed to a perishableobject. For example, the label may comprise a plurality of informationelements including at least one first information element in a first inkthat is visible and at least one second information element in a secondink that is invisible until activated by environmental conditions.

Next, at 1420 the perishable object is processed to apply a coating toat least a portion of the surface of the perishable object. In oneaspect, the coating may be a protective coating that is sprayed onto thesurface of the perishable object.

Next, at 1430, the perishable object is processed to expose the label toan ultraviolet light having a wavelength configured to activate thesecond ink and turn the at least one second information element visible.Advantageously, at least one of the second information elements can bean indicator that the protective coating has been applied to theperishable object. In one aspect, the coating may be applied at atreatment station such as previously described with respect to FIG. 2and the ultraviolet light may be applied at an illumination station suchas previously described with respect to FIG. 2 .

Next, at 1440 when the second visible ink is identified on a perishableproduct at a waypoint in the supply chain, then at 1450 the perishableproduct is removed from the supply chain. This advantageously allowsindividual perishable products or containers full of perishable productsor pallets supporting containers full of perishable products to beeasily identified using scanning machines and imaging machines such thatthese perishable products can be removed from the supply chain so thatthe quality of such removed perishable products may be validated beforedelivery.

In one aspect, the perishable object is a fruit or a vegetable and thecoating is edible. For example, the perishable object may be an avocadowith an edible coating that is applied to it.

In another aspect, the label may comprise at least one third informationelement in a third ink, wherein the third ink is invisible untilthermally activated by environmental conditions. In this aspect, theperishable object can be processed to determine that the at least onethird information element in invisible ink has been thermally activatedand transformed into visible ink. Such perishable products withthermally activated ink on their labels can be identified and removedfrom the supply chain, for example because an ambient temperature aroundthe label has exceeded a predetermined threshold. For example, thepredetermined threshold may be in the range of 42 degrees to 60 degreesand in one instance the predetermined threshold may be 55 degreesFahrenheit.

The above description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enableany person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Variousmodifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles described herein can beapplied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scopeof the invention. Thus, it is to be understood that the description anddrawings presented herein represent a presently preferred embodiment ofthe invention and are therefore representative of the subject matterwhich is broadly contemplated by the present invention. It is furtherunderstood that the scope of the present invention fully encompassesother embodiments that may become obvious to those skilled in the artand that the scope of the present invention is accordingly not limited.

1. A supply chain management method comprising: receiving a firstperishable product having a first label comprising at least one firstinformation element in a visible ink and at least one second informationelement in a first invisible ink and at least one third informationelement in a second invisible ink, wherein the first invisible ink andthe second invisible ink are configured to be activated by environmentalconditions to become visible; applying a coating to at least a portionof a surface of the first perishable product; exposing the first labelto an environmental condition configured to activate the first invisibleink to become visible; analyzing the first label on the first perishableproduct to identify at least one third information element on the firstlabel where the second invisible ink has been activated by environmentalconditions to become visible; and in response to identifying the atleast one third information element on the first label where the secondinvisible ink has been activated by environmental conditions to becomevisible, rerouting the first perishable product through the supplychain.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one firstinformation element includes a bar code and a price look up code in thevisible ink.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one secondinformation element is an indicator that the coating has been applied tothe first perishable product.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein theenvironmental condition configured to activate the first invisible inkto become visible comprises an ultraviolet light at a predeterminedwavelength.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predeterminedwavelength is 254 nanometers.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the atleast one third information element is an indicator that the firstperishable product has been exposed to undesirable environmentalconditions.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the environmentalcondition configured to activate the second invisible ink to becomevisible comprises an ambient temperature that exceeds a predeterminedtemperature for a predetermined time period.
 8. The method of claim 7,wherein the predetermined temperature is in a range of 42 degrees to 60degrees Fahrenheit.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the predeterminedtime period is a minimum of 45 minutes.
 10. The method of claim 7,wherein the predetermined temperature is 55 degrees Fahrenheit and thepredetermined time period a minimum of 45 minutes.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein rerouting comprises processing the first perishableproduct having the first label with the visible first invisible inkseparately from similar perishable products not having visible firstinvisible ink on their respective labels.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein the first perishable product comprises a plurality of perishableproducts supported on a pallet.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst perishable product comprises a plurality of perishable productsheld by a container.
 14. A supply chain management method comprising:receiving a perishable product having a label comprising a plurality ofinformation elements including at least one first information element ina first ink, wherein the first ink is visible and at least one secondinformation element in a second ink, wherein the second ink is invisibleuntil activated by environmental conditions; applying a coating to atleast a portion of a surface of the perishable product; and exposing thelabel to an ultraviolet light having a wavelength configured to activatethe second ink and turn the at least one second information elementvisible, wherein the at least one second information element is anindicator that the coating has been applied to the perishable product.15. The method of claim 14, wherein the perishable product is one of afruit or vegetable and wherein the coating is an edible coating.
 16. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the perishable product is an avocado andwherein the coating is an edible coating.
 17. The method of claim 14,wherein the label comprises at least one third information element in athird ink, wherein the third ink is invisible until activated byenvironmental conditions, further comprising: determining that the atleast one third information element in invisible ink has been activatedand transformed into visible ink; and removing the perishable productfrom the supply chain in response to determining that the at least onethird information element in invisible ink has been activated.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the environmental conditions configured toactivate the third ink comprise an ambient temperature that exceeds apredetermined temperature for a predetermined time period.
 19. Themethod of claim 18, wherein the predetermined temperature is in a rangeof 42 degrees to 60 degrees Fahrenheit and the predetermined time periodis a minimum of 45 minutes.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein thepredetermined temperature is 55 degrees Fahrenheit and the predeterminedtime period a minimum of 45 minutes.